Among the storied names of Spanish wine, La Rioja Alta, S.A. stands as a monument to tradition, precision, and patience. Nestled in the historic railway district of Haro—the beating heart of Rioja’s Alta subzone—this iconic producer has spent over 130 years refining the art of long-aged Tempranillo. Their wines, patient and profound, are not only a tribute to Rioja’s past but a study in meticulous viticulture and cellar craft.
Founders, Mergers & Miletones
The founding of La Rioja Alta, S.A. dates to July 10, 1890, when five families of Basque and Riojan heritage—led by Don Daniel-Alfredo Ardanza y Sánchez, among others—established the Sociedad Vinícola de La Rioja Alta in Haro. Their ambition? To emulate the aging techniques of Bordeaux while harnessing the character of local grapes.
The phylloxera crisis in France had opened opportunities for Spanish wines on the international market. Rioja’s proximity to Bordeaux and the new railway line through Haro allowed for both French expertise and export possibilities. Rioja Alta capitalized early, establishing ties with French oenologists and adopting barrel aging in American oak—a practice that would become the house signature.
A pivotal moment arrived in 1904, when Alfredo Ardanza merged his private cellar with the Sociedad, giving rise to Viña Ardanza, one of Rioja’s most celebrated cuvées. Over the 20th century, La Rioja Alta grew steadily, weathering the Spanish Civil War and Franco-era restrictions while staying resolutely family-owned and quality-focused.
In a region known for its fluid brand identities, Rioja Alta stands apart for continuity. The winery has released wines from the same labels—Ardanza, 904, and 890—for over a century, maintaining a classical profile even as global palates shifted.
The People: Custodians of Legacy
Today, the company is presided over by Guillermo de Aranzabal Agudo, a direct descendant of the founding families. His leadership has emphasized sustainability, innovation in vineyard management, and global outreach—while maintaining the hallmark styles that have earned Rioja Alta global prestige.
Chief Winemaker Julio Sáenz, trained in both oenology and agricultural engineering, has overseen production since 2005. He is known for his quiet, detail-driven approach—balancing non-interventionist philosophy in the vineyard with hyper-traditional cellar practices. For Sáenz, patience is not a virtue but a necessity: “We don’t follow the market. The wine tells us when it’s ready.”
Complementing Sáenz is an in-house cooperage team, rare among Rioja producers, responsible for crafting all 30,000+ American oak barrels used in the winery’s long aging regimes.
Viticulture: Old Vines, High Altitudes & Precision Farming
La Rioja Alta controls over 700 hectares of estate-owned vineyards, most of them concentrated in the Rioja Alta subzone, which is characterized by Atlantic climatic influence, cooler growing seasons, and elevations ranging from 500 to 650 meters. This results in longer ripening cycles, higher acidity, and more aromatic complexity—ideal for aging.
Notable vineyards include Finca La Cuesta, located near Cenicero, where clay-limestone soils rich in calcium produce structured Tempranillo with firm tannins. Montecillo, near Fuenmayor, provides ideal conditions for Garnacha destined for Viña Ardanza; its sandy soils yield open-knit, aromatic fruit. And Finca El Bardal, located in Labastida, is a cooler plot that produces fine Graciano, prized for its acidity and phenolic richness.
Sustainable viticulture is a pillar of the estate’s philosophy. The winery employs precision viticulture techniques, using drones and satellite imagery to monitor canopy health and ripening patterns across vineyard parcels. Irrigation is avoided in favor of dry farming, which encourages deeper root systems and more resilient vines.
Cover crops are planted between vineyard rows to prevent erosion and promote biodiversity, and the estate is gradually converting select plots to certified organic cultivation. Trials using native yeasts are also underway in an effort to better express each vineyard’s unique identity.
Cellar Techniques: The Art of Times
Few wineries worldwide age their wines as extensively—or meticulously—as La Rioja Alta. Most bottlings are not released for six to ten years after harvest.
La Rioja Alta is committed to aging in American oak, but unlike most Rioja houses, they produce and toast their own barrels from staves imported from Kentucky and Ohio. These barrels are lightly toasted to preserve spice and structural grip without overwhelming the fruit. Barrel aging lasts anywhere from 24 to 72 months, depending on the cuvée. Wines are racked by hand every six months using the traditional barrel-to-barrel gravity method, which also serves as a gentle clarification process. After barrel aging, wines rest in bottle for several more years in the winery’s cool underground cellars before release.
Fermentation takes place in large stainless-steel tanks or oak vats, depending on the wine, with cold maceration often used to enhance aromatic lift. No enzymes or additives are used, and temperature control is minimal. Natural yeast fermentations are encouraged for select vineyard lots. Filtration is kept to a minimum to preserve the wine’s natural texture, and most wines are unfined.
Icons of Rioja
The portfolio is compact, tightly curated, and deeply traditional.
Viña Alberdi Reserva is made from 100% Tempranillo and aged two years in American oak followed by two more in bottle. It’s fresh, red-fruited, and lightly spiced—ideal for early drinking but structured enough to age for a decade or more.
Viña Ardanza Reserva combines about 80% Tempranillo with 20% Garnacha. The Garnacha is aged separately in older oak for elegance, producing one of the most balanced and gastronomic wines in the lineup.
Viña Arana Gran Reserva blends Tempranillo with Graciano and was elevated to Gran Reserva status in 2012. It is elegant and lifted, often showing red currant, dried rose, and graphite.
Gran Reserva 904, named after the 1904 merger that gave rise to the label, is based on Tempranillo with a small percentage of Graciano. It is aged approximately four years in barrel and another four in bottle before release, yielding a silky, mature, and complex wine that is built to evolve for decades.
Finally, Gran Reserva 890—named after the winery’s founding year—is only made in exceptional vintages. It is aged up to six years in oak and released after up to ten years of total aging. This bottling is a collector’s icon and the ultimate expression of traditional Rioja craftsmanship.
Each of these wines reflects a single underlying philosophy: aging is not just a process, but a language—through which Rioja Alta expresses vintage, place, and intention.
📍 Google Maps Location:
La Rioja Alta, S.A. – Haro, La Rioja
